Ankur Saxena, PhD

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About

How do neurons form in vertebrate embryos and why are so few created in adults? My lab investigates these important questions in their natural, in vivo context by combining high-resolution live imaging with genetic, molecular, and/or physical perturbation. We aim to understand multicellular dynamics during stem cell migration and differentiation into neurons and, to do so, have developed an experimental system that embraces rapid advances in imaging technologies while maintaining long-term developmental and regenerative fidelity. The primary model organism used in the lab is the zebrafish.

Currently, much of our work is focused on olfactory sensory neurons, which are particularly unique in their regenerative capacity across species. In humans, for example, a completely new set of olfactory neurons is present almost every month. We have previously shown that one of the two main types of olfactory sensory neurons in zebrafish is derived from highly migratory neural crest stem cells. By revealing the origins of these neurons and the molecular and cellular processes driving the remarkable transformation from stem cell to sensory neuron in vivo in both embryos and adults, we intend to gain new insights into general mechanisms of neurogenesis and the potential for neuroregeneration.